This is me

I just wanted to be a scientist and a degree in Veterinary medicine is how I got there. I have worked for about 30 years in the network of Italian veterinary public health laboratories, the Istituti Zooprofilattici. My area of expertise covers some viral diseases of animals and viral zoonoses. Among these, I was particularly interested in influenza viruses and worked extensively in this field.

In 2013 I agreed to run as a candidate in the Italian general election, following a personal request from the standing Italian Prime Minister then in office, Mario Monti. I was elected as a member of the Italian Parliament and then Vice chair of the Science, Culture and Education Commission of the Italian Chamber of Deputees.

In April 2014, I discovered from a leakage to the press that I had been under criminal investigation for many years for facts related to my scientific activity. I also learned that I risked life imprisonment for some of the crimes I was accused of having committed.

In July 2016, I was cleared from all charges “because the facts leaked to the press never existed”. I resigned from the Italian Parliament and moved to the United States.